The invention relates to a control device comprising a radiation source which is embodied, in particular, as an X-ray source for irradiating a pharmaceutical product embodied, in particular, as a capsule, a detector for detecting radiation after irradiating the pharmaceutical product, a tube or shaft-shaped supply device which is preferably arranged vertically at least in the region of the beam path of the radiation source for feeding the pharmaceutical product into the beam path of the radiation source, and means for positioning and releasing the pharmaceutical product in the region of the radiation beam of the radiation source.
Such a control device is known from the German patent application DE 10 2009 045 809 A1 subsequently published by the applicant. The weight of capsules filled with a pharmaceutical can be determined by irradiating the capsules with X-rays using the known control device. In addition, it is possible to detect, for example, foreign particles or something similar which have entered into the capsules during filling. The control device known from the German patent application DE 10 2009 045 809 A1 comprises a tube or shaft-shaped transport element for transporting the capsules into the region of the X-ray source, said capsules being transported in the transport element in a vertically arranged row. That means that the transport element, with regard to the cross-section thereof, has to be adapted very precisely to the format of the pharmaceutical products to be examined. This adaptation is also then required in the previously known control device because the X-ray source irradiates the pharmaceutical product in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis thereof.
The known control device exhibits a high level of performance for the format to be processed in each case. It is, however, required to adapt the transport device to the new format of the pharmaceutical products for each batch or format change. This generally occurs by replacing the transport device, which to this end is preferably embodied as a format part. The replacement of parts and the recalibration associated therewith during a format change require, however, a relatively high amount of effort and associated cost.